The PSOE of Lanzarote has presented a motion in the Cabildo to demand the suspension of the circulation of buggies and similar vehicles in the island's natural environment while the regulations that must govern these activities are processed. The initiative calls for coordinated action with the town councils in the face of a situation that the socialists consider unsustainable and which has been motivating continuous protests from residents and farmers.
The deputy spokesperson for the Socialist Group, Ariagona González, calls on the Cabildo to address these protests with concrete measures. "Those who live and work in our countryside have been denouncing a situation that has become unsustainable for some time. They cannot be asked to keep waiting while a regulation is drafted. The Cabildo must agree with the town councils on the suspension of these activities and guarantee effective monitoring," she states.
The Socialist Group recalls that the procedure is still in the preliminary consultation phase with the town councils, owners of rural land, environmental organizations, sports clubs, active tourism companies and professionals, and citizens. Therefore, it considers it necessary to adopt interim measures until the definitive approval of the regulation.
"The countryside of Lanzarote is not a leisure circuit. It is a living territory, with villages, farms, and agricultural activity that we must protect. Its use for tourist activities must respect this reality. The complaints of residents and farmers must carry more weight in the Cabildo's decisions than the convenience of leaving things as they are," González maintains.
The motion also introduces an issue that the socialists consider fundamental: Lanzarote does not have the official network of routes for motor vehicles in the natural environment provided for in the Canary Islands land legislation. Based on this absence, the Socialist Group maintains that these activities lack the necessary legal coverage and calls for the administrations to act accordingly.
The proposal suggests agreeing with the town councils on the suspension of ordinances that, if they exist, authorize the circulation of buggies, quads, trial, enduro, or cross motorcycles, and similar vehicles in the natural environment, as well as licenses granted for active tourism activities that use them.
González claims to the government of Oswaldo Betancort that it should take the initiative and provide a joint response with the municipalities. "The Cabildo has the responsibility to address this problem with an island-wide perspective. It cannot transfer all the pressure to the town halls or ask residents and farmers to keep waiting without offering them a solution. Measures must be agreed upon, controls established, and their compliance guaranteed," he maintains.
In this regard, the motion proposes coordinating surveillance between the town halls, the Civil Guard, and the island institution's Environment department. The objective is for the Local Police, Traffic officers, Seprona, and Environment agents to develop effective control of these activities, identify offenders, and process the corresponding sanctioning files.
For the PSOE, the regulation of active tourism must guarantee that its development is compatible with the conservation of the territory and with the rights of the resident population. "The uniqueness of Lanzarote cannot be defended as a tourist attraction while postponing the necessary decisions to conserve it. The landscape is not a resource that can be used without limits. It is a heritage that we are obliged to protect," concludes Ariagona González.
Add La Voz de Lanzarote as a preferred Google source.
Stay informed with the latest current news.